On Thursday, Horns247 released some names to watch in the Texas Basketball coaching search following the team’s decision to move on from Rodney Terry.
One particular name belongs to that of an active Big 12 head coach, and that name is a big one: Kansas’ Bill Self.
“Believe it or not, Self has always had a fascination with the Texas job, which Self believes is an ideal situation because the Longhorns’ basketball head-coaching job comes with all the resources and without the every-season Final Four expectations like at Kansas,” 247Sports’ Chip Brown wrote. “But in 2023, Self signed what has been described as “a lifetime contract,” a rolling five-year deal that makes Self the highest-paid college coach at more than $10 million per season.”
Self has spent the past 22 seasons in Lawrence, and in that time, he has become one of college basketball’s best coaches. While the Jayhawks continue to reach the Big Dance each and every season, things have been different over the past two seasons, with Kansas recording back-to-back seasons with double-digit losses for the first time in Self’s tenure.
“No matter how small Lawrence feels after 22 years as KU’s coach, that kind of money is hard to walk away from,” Brown continued. “At KU, Self has won two national titles (2008, 2022) and has reached four Final Fours (2008, 2012, 2018, 2022). And even though 2025 has been a down year in the regular season (20-11) with a sixth-place finish in the Big 12 (11-9), the Jayhawks are a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament.”
In the meantime, Self has set his sights on the 2025 NCAA Tournament, where his Jayhawks are looking to add another deep tournament run to his Hall of Fame resume.
